Can you be born evil?

[Valjean]

We are always dealing with extenuating circumstances, but unless damaged in some way, we come equipped with an in-born conscience. Kind of like a compass leaning toward what is right. So, a conscience can be trained or guided to distinguish between right and wrong or vice versa.

Some are born with a conscience. Others are not. And that conscience is pretty circumscribed, both by Nature and nurture.

We have the brains of hunter-gatherer, plains apes. They're wired for in-group altruism and out-group competition.

Extending moral consideration to non-tribe members is not part of our inborn survival strategy. Such altruism would have been dysfunctional for 99% of our history. It has to be learned and, once enculturated, it's a very thin veneer, easily stripped away.

 

[agorman]

Evil is something you do, not something you are. If it was an inborn characteristic, how could you be held responsible for it?

Responsible or not, you would have to be removed from Society somehow to prevent you from damaging your neighbor.

Mosquitos are born "evil" from our point of view, because they transmit diseases. That doesn't mean you have to let them bite you because they don't have the fault of being born mosquitos.

Now I wonder if politicians are born like that or if they're made, hmmm.

 

[HonestJoe]

Responsible or not, you would have to be removed from Society somehow to prevent you from damaging your neighbor.

That isn't the same as being evil though, which is my point. Someone with a dangerous infectious disease can be removed from society but they're not called "evil" for it.

Mosquitos are born "evil" from our point of view, because they transmit diseases.

No they're not. They don't know what they're doing so the mosquitoes aren't being evil anymore than the blood parasites which actually cause malaria or the blood which carries them.

 

[osgart]

Imo ,Innocent til the age of accountability. Thats the age when you know better and best about what is harmful, and harmless. At that point, you decide who you are about things.

I believe that people choose either ambivalence, or goodness, or badness. I believe there are temporal choices, and forever choices of who a person decides to be. To love is to choose, love the good, or love the contrary, or perhaps some people sit on the fence all their lives and are totally ambivalent. I think ambivalence towards harm and harmlessness is an ignorant sin. Loving harm is wicked, and harmlessness is good.

I do realize that goodness has its defenses. An innocent person wont let anyone walk all over them if they know better. And innocent people will be vigilant about justice. And enforce justice wherever they can.

 

[osgart]

Psalms in the kjv 1611 says we are all born sinners.

 

[agorman]

No they're not. They don't know what they're doing so the mosquitoes aren't being evil anymore than the blood parasites which actually cause malaria or the blood which carries them.

Evil from the human convenience point of view.

Psalms in the kjv 1611 says we are all born sinners.

Well that's quite bad for self-esteem, huh? I always wonder why a perfect God would create natural-born sinners. To have fun punishing us? To save us from ourselves and feel like a hero? For a sick game of "Become like I want you to be or die?" Maybe that hypothetical God is monstrous exactly because He's perfect? Or maybe he likes the smell of the blood of stoned humans in the morning. You tell me. Or better don't.

 

[lukethethird]

What does it mean when a baby has a 999 tattoo on the top of his head?

 

[lukethethird]

Psalms in the kjv 1611 says we are all born sinners.

Well, it would say that, wouldn't it.

 

[osgart]

Evil from the human convenience point of view.



Well that's quite bad for self-esteem, huh? I always wonder why a perfect God would create natural-born sinners. To have fun punishing us? To save us from ourselves and feel like a hero? For a sick game of "Become like I want you to be or die?" Maybe that hypothetical God is monstrous exactly because He's perfect? Or maybe he likes the smell of the blood of stoned humans in the morning. You tell me. Or better don't.

I think christianity is bogus personally. I dont like it one bit. Its no good

 

[osgart]

Well, it would say that, wouldn't it.

Im not defending it. The guy asked what the bible said about the topic.

 

[lukethethird]

Im not defending it. The guy asked what the bible said about the topic.

Oh.

 

[Shad]

I do not believe one is born evil. Moral codes are applied to those that can understand such codes.

 

[HonestJoe]

Evil from the human convenience point of view.

I find that a lazy use of language encouraged by mainly Christian theology to muddy the waters of the difficult challenge of the "problem of evil". I don't see any legitimate reason for defining evil as anything other than conscious actions (or inaction) by sentient beings. Anything else is indistinguishable from "bad things that just happen". By your definition, everything with potentially negative impact on someone would be evil - snow, sunlight, oceans, methane, gravity, convection... the list is literally endless.